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This Week at the Brennans

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family posing for selfie in front of home

So so busy over here!

Here’s what happened these past few weeks:

We moved in! We moved in! We moved in! Our stuff isn’t here yet, but we’re in and our home is officially all ours! Woohoo!

We technically closed on the home last week but gave the sellers some extra time in the home to pack and move out. We got the keys on the evening of the 11th and have been moving our very few items in that we had collected with us at Gordon’s parent’s home. All of that is away and in its place, so now we just wait for our pod to arrive tomorrow! Yes, tomorrow! We are all excited to get our actual beds. Ha!

On Saturday morning when we were still checking things out, getting used to the overall property, we realized we had a blueberry bush and an asian pear tree in our backyard! How amazing is that? If you never have tried an asian pear, you are missing out. They are so good. Just one more thing making us so happy to be back in Oregon.

Porter has been moving and grooving and out of nowhere it seems, he started climbing stairs, pulling himself up to stand and cruising along furniture. On top of all that, he has at least three more teeth popping up through his gums and his hair is getting to be curlier than Eddie’s! I don’t know how that is even possible, but here we are! I love that I have Brooke with brown, straight hair, Blake with blonde, straight hair, Eddie with brown, curly hair and Porter with blonde, curly hair! Genetics are so cool.

baby climbing stairs
Porter climbing stairs!! The boys lined up their toys at the top of the stairs which turned out to be pretty good motivation.

We are still doing the homeschool thing and two weeks in, have found our rhythm. We took a day off to move in on Friday and we’ll probably take tomorrow off once the POD arrives, but besides that, its full steam ahead. We are liking just about everything that has come from it. I mainly like just having a husband home 24/7. We’re all a little more relaxed. Still tweaking the schedule to figure out what is best for all of us, but man does it feel good to have a plan.

We have friends who live in our neighborhood and what a difference that has made for our overall experience! We went to church for the first time yesterday in this area and they all were like “Oh YOU’RE the Brennans! We’ve heard all about you!” Ha! So, I’m going to have to put faces to names real quick cause they all seem to know who we are. Ha! We’ve also met one of our neighbors and have seen that the other neighbors really like football. Ha! (We can see their TV from one of our kitchen windows, so whenever we’re eating a meal, the boys like to check what they’re watching. Not creepy at all.)

It’s been a bit of a weird week with all the wildfires and smoke happening around us and lots of you have asked if we are ok and if our new home is ok. Yes! We are safe and thankfully the wonderful firefighters are working hard to keep the blazes closest to us under control. Across the state and into California, I know everyone is working hard. We are praying for rain and should be getting some here today and tomorrow! We know prayers work, so if that is your thing, we’d love for you to join us!

boy and girl holding box of asian pears
So excited to have an asian pear tree in our backyard!

Here’s what is coming up this next week:

Unpacking! Our little pod is showing up tomorrow and because it’s so small, I’m guessing it won’t take us very long to unload.

I also want to paint a few rooms, but we’ll see how much energy I end up with by the time this week is over.

Porter, my sweet baby, is turning one! Can you even believe it? Do you remember when he was born? OMG it really wasn’t that long ago, but it sort of was! We are going to do a little family party for him with a few small gifts and a fun chocolate cake.

I did want to go to IKEA and spend a zillion dollars but I don’t know if I’ll have the time. Also, I’m not convinced we’ll have enough room in my car for everything I want. Ha! Such is life.

little boy vacuuming
I’m telling you, cordless vacuums are all that and a bag of chips.

A few of my Favorite Things

Ya’ll, I’ve been spending a lot of time at Walmart and Target and I’m not mad about it. Ha! I’m sharing all sorts of random things in this list and hope you find it helpful.

Apparently moving coast to coast will really help you lose things…enormous water bottle included. So, I was on the market for a non-plastic water bottle. I was thinking a metal water bottle would be best but a lot of the cheaper ones just make your water taste like metal. NO THANKS. But I found this glass water bottle from Target and I’ve been loving it. Regardless of what you’re sipping out of it, it tastes just like it should without leaving any weird flavors left over. I drink my amino energy out of it every morning, wash it out with warm soapy water and refill with water. It’s been great.

I’ve switched over to the dark side and have been buying cordless everything. Hello cordless vacuum! I ended up purchasing the Dyson V8 Animal cordless vacuum and have been loving it. I think I’m going to be vacuuming a whole lot more than I ever thought possible. Plus!! It’s small enough, light enough and easy enough to manage for Eddie (who’s 4). As a matter of fact, Eddie and Blake were fighting over who would vacuum the baseboards yesterday. So there’s that.

Have you smelled the Acorn Spice scent from Mrs. Meyers? I got this candle and have been DYING over how good it is. Fall in a candle. RUN to get them all. (Apparently they have cleaners and soaps and things all in the same scent but I was only able to find the candle which is fine by me.)

I have been in the market for some jeans that actually fit me. Larger thighs, a smaller waist and short legs are really hard things to work with when it comes to jeans. I NEED to try any pair of pants on before buying to make sure they actually fit. ANYWAYS, with this pandemic stuff still lingering around, the changing rooms are closed at Target. So I grabbed some Universal Thread “short” high waisted jeans to try at home and thought I’d return them all. Well color me surprised when I tried them on and they fit. Like fit perfectly…and maybe even a little loose?! That NEVER happens and has never happened ever in my adult life. I’m going to wash them and then I think they should be perfect. I might even size down when I go back and get another pair (whaaat? who am I right now?) So if you’re shorter, give these amazing $20 jeans a try. It’s a killer deal, especially considering they fit me amazingly well. (I got the medium wash but will go back to see if they have any in the darker wash since they aren’t available online anymore.)

I also bought this $27 green floral dress from Target, too which I’m kind of in love with. I’m wearing it in the first photo in this post. It’s so comfortable and flattering. (I’m an XS)

Porter’s birthday is on Wednesday (whaaaat) and I’ve been trying to find presents that are actually useful instead of junk I’ll just end up throwing out. These personalized puzzles from etsy have turned out to be just the tickets. They are so cute, priced moderately and something that is useful while still being adorable. I paid $20 for mine (not sure it was a labor day sale or what, but that was a steal for me!). It will get here a little late, but its not like Porter will know. Haha!

I’ve been using etsy a lot to find art pieces for our new home and they are actually so well priced! A lot of these are digital downloads I’ll just print at office depot for a few dollars. This watercolor print is one I purchased outright that will go on the shelves we will build around our fireplace…once we move our fireplace out of the corner and center it on the room. Ha! I bought some super cute prints for Blake and Eddie’s room (here, here and here) plus the sweetest NYC print for Porter’s room.

husband and wife smiling together

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21 Responses
  1. Donna Brennan

    Happy Birthday to Porter!!! Loved the birthday pictures but couldn’t seem to post a comment there,,, so…..I posted it here!! So happy for you guys in your new home!!!

  2. Debbie Sullivan

    I love your recipes and blog!! So thrilled that you are not in NYC anymore. You have a lovely family and will be so happy in Oregon vs. NYC. Best of luck to you!!
    I love NYC at Christmas!
    ❤️❤️❤️

  3. Judy

    Ya all look so happy. I am so happy for your family. That pear tree and berry bush are a bonus. Happy Birthday to Porter. Oh my word it seems like he should only be 4 months old not a year. The time has really flown. I hope you send some pictures when you get settled so we can see your amazing home. Friends close by is a blessing. I am praying and have been praying that Oregon and Washington and California all get rain and lots of it. I feel so sorry for the firefighters. They not only have to deal with the fires but the hot weather and carry all that heavy equipment. Look forward to your next blog. God bless you all.

  4. Ellen

    Been following your recipes for awhile now but now i have committed to planning my meals around them every week! It has been wonderful. Thank you.
    Ellen in South Carolina

  5. Carol Weaver

    I’m so glad you’ve gotten into your new home and your family is all together again!
    I wish health and happiness in your future!
    I really enjoy reading about your family and love your recipes!

  6. TinaMarie

    I am so very happy to hear that everything for you and your adorable family are starting to go well. The power of prayer is there, I believe. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. Sending much much happiness your way. Happy cooking.

  7. Courtney

    So Happy for you & the family. How are the kids handling Gordon being their teacher? Love how all your kids have different hair types/colors. Can’t believe Porter will be one. He is cutest baby. Good luck emptying out the POD. Don’t you love it when you go shopping and find exactly what you are looking for, its the best feeling!

  8. susan webb

    i have a question about the jeans… I’m desperately in need of a new pair and have a horrible time finding to fit me as well. I want high-rise, but not fond of the skinny leg – are these tight? May I ask how tall you are and approx what weight? I’m about 5′ 4″ and around 110 and also have a small waist and larger thighs and these sound perfect other than the tight leg…I enjoy your posts by the way 🙂

    1. Lauren

      I’m in a 4 and would definitely recommend sizing down. I’m 5’4″ and these hit me right at the ankle. Not sure how much I weigh, but if I had to guess, probably around 120-125. The jeans have a little stretch to them for sure. The 4’s are a little loose around my waist which is why I want to wash them to see if they shrink a little (which would be perfect for me!) but if they don’t I’ll be getting the 2’s.

  9. Karen

    Oh, I miss my WA blueberry bushes! How fun to have one in your backyard. (Chances are you probably have another back there as well, since I’m pretty sure most blueberry bushes aren’t self-fertile.)

    AND I saw your dress in your Sunday post, and LOVED it, but assumed it was some fancy NY dress. (Truly.) How fun that it’s from Target? I may have to snag one as well.

    What a great, happy update.

    1. Brandy

      I’m so glad y’all moved in! And so glad y’all are safe from the fires. I’ve been thinking about you all and hoping you were out of harm’s way. That’s wonderful homeschooling is going well.

  10. Pat Donohue

    Curious if you got to IKEA. Our nearest store has really empty shelves. Must not be getting regular shipments in with Covid19. I finally ordered what I wanted online and paid the $10 shopping fee.

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